Marianna Palka

“It’s fascinating to be an empowered female in the mainstream. I knew it was going to happen, I just didn’t realize it was going to happen for me. It’s great to be getting to do your dream.”

— Marianna Palka

How do you feel about how interconnected the world is becoming?
I appreciate it because people who need help can get help faster. I think artistically, groups of artists and creatives are able to similarly heal each other. It’s a vital time to be alive. I’m so glad to be a director in this period of time and to make a difference out there.

What does the future look like to you?
Always very bright. The next generation of artists is going to be amazing. They’re going to be better than us. More passionate, more interesting, more human, more intimate. Everyone’s scared of the internet like it’s this thing that’s causing distance, but I think it’s making us better people.

“The world needs love and sweetness and
feminine energy and tenderness.
We have to look after ourselves and each other.”
— Marianna Palka

How do you feel about having children?
I want to have all the kids, all the time. I want 500 children, but I don’t think I can birth 500 children. So I think I have to birth, like, one or two. That’ll work for me. I’m going to be such a good mom, and my kids are going to feel great—the same way I felt great about my mom.

What challenges do you feel the world is facing today?
I don’t like that it’s getting hotter. The world needs love and sweetness and feminine energy and tenderness. We have to look after ourselves and each other. We need to think about things in a new way and listen to younger people because they always have the best ideas. I feel like a shift in consciousness has already happened and is going to keep happening. Stuff is no longer hierarchical. It’s more of a circle. It’s not about the self or the ego, it’s about being part of the community. The connectivity of humanity right now is going to heal the world. When the Dalai Lama said the world will be saved by the Western woman, I think he was talking about all the women in the West. But he was also talking about all the men in the West connected to their feminine side. I think we’re going to be okay.

What are you most grateful for?
I’m most grateful for the jobs I’ve been getting and my ability to listen to what I’m supposed to do. I love having this instrument of filmmaking inside me where I can listen to great cinema and understand how to make it. I’m so grateful for that innate skill as an artist.

What are you most grateful for?
I’m most grateful for the jobs I’ve been getting and my ability to listen to what I’m supposed to do. I love having this instrument of filmmaking inside me where I can listen to great cinema and understand how to make it. I’m so grateful for that innate skill as an artist.

“It’s not about the self or the ego, it’s about
being part of the community. I feel
like the connectivity of humanity right now
is going to heal the world.”
— Marianna Palka

What is your favorite way to communicate?
Doing interviews. Having an interpersonal conversation with a loved one that’s really hard, where you feel like you’re saying the absolute opposite from the other person, and it’s really challenging. And you want to cry, or you want to scream, or you’re angry. But instead of doing any of those things you’re listening, and you’re talking. That’s my favorite way to communicate. The non-fight, dynamic conversation in an interpersonal relationship is really compelling to me.

What is your favorite book, film, and music right now?
I love “I Need My Girl” by The National. It’s a really special song. I have it in my car on a loop right now because I want someone to sing it to me. I need someone to need me.

Last of the Mohicans is my favorite movie. Michael Mann, I love you. In that movie, he’s the most incredible character. I love men. I love eros. I love things that are about devotional lovers. I think it’s because of my dad and my childhood. Him being so connected to me and being like, “You can do anything you want to do, and I love you completely no matter what.” I love when that’s repeated in a story. It feels very real. When I look at Last of the Mohicans, I see that devotional love that a man can have and how romantic that is.

The novel I like most would be Pride and Prejudice, just because it takes them so long to love each other. It’s such a long courtship. I love Mr. Darcy. He’s like, “Even though I’m the hardest person to like, suddenly I’m the greatest love of your life!” And she needs to deal with that. I love love stories.